OverviewThe Ferns Report outlines in simple, stark terms, horrific alleged abuse of more than 100 people over 40 years, and how, in many cases, the Catholic Church, and sometimes State authorities failed to protect them.
Through the 271 pages of allegations, responses and conclusions, a clear picture emerges of how, for much of the last 40 years, there was an inadequate response to child abuse allegations.
It is the first time that the church authorities have been held to account by an independent inquiry in Ireland.
While the report acknowledges the recent response of the Diocese of Ferns to allegations and the developments in child protection within the State, it raises questions about whether current legislation protects children adequately from suspected or known abusers.
The allegations begin in 1966, with then Bishop of Ferns Donal Herlihy being informed of complaints about Fr Donal Collins measuring the penises of 20 boys in a dormitory in Ferns.
The allegations dealt with by the diocese go as far as 2004, when acting Bishop of Ferns Eamonn Walsh received an allegation of sexual misconduct by his predecessor Brendan Comiskey against a teenage girl, an allegation Dr Comiskey denies any knowledge of.
In its pages it tells stories of allegations of sexual abuse against 21 priests and refers to another five cases which came to its attention too late to examine fully.
The most extensive sections of the report relate to some of the better known cases, such as Seán Fortune, Donal Collins, James Doyle, Jim Grennan and Canon Martin Clancy. These involve no less than 24 individuals who gave evidence to the inquiry and show how Fortune was involved in a series of rapes and sexual assaults around the country from the 1970s right through to the 1990s.
Wherever Fortune was living during this period, be it Belfast, Dundalk, Dublin or rural Wexford, victims have come forward with stories, such as Daniel who as a 14-year-old was raped and buggered by the priest in a toilet cubicle.
There is also the story of Fr Donal Collins, whose abuse of young boys was made known to then Bishop Donal Herlihy in 1966.
He was banished to England to do "penance", only to return to St Peter's School, and was promoted by Bishop Comiskey to principal of the college by 1988.
The report outlines a catalogue of allegations of abuse by former students of the school, like Edmund, who went to Fr Collins's room to discuss a 'Young Scientist' project. Instead of discussing the project, Collins forced him into mutual masturbation and oral sex.
So what about the response of the church when these people complained? Overall, and right up until 2002, the response in most cases was lacking in the extreme.
The inquiry puts it simply about the response of both Dr Comiskey and Dr Herlihy; "[ They] placed the interests of individual priests ahead of those of the community in which they served."
In the case of Dr Comiskey, he received allegations of abuse against 10 priests during his time as bishop, but none were forced to stand aside from active ministry by the bishop. He did make inquiries which were "inappropriate and inadequate".
The report says that from the late 1960s right up until 1980, sexual abuse, even rape, was seen as a moral failing by Dr Herlihy as opposed to a criminal issue, despite complaints against a significant number of clerics even by this stage.
Then Dr Herlihy changed tack, says the report. With psychological and psychiatric developments, he began to refer priests for psychological treatment. However, he and Dr Comiskey ignored such psychological advice, such as that relating to Fr James Doyle, which advocated that he should be kept from having a role working with young people. Even after being convicted in 1990, he was allowed to work as a chaplain in a 600-pupil school in London.
When it came to the allegations being investigated by the civil authorities, Dr Comiskey was found to be wanting. He is accused in the report of providing erroneous information about Fr Collins to a Garda inquiry, and failing to co-operate with the inquiry into Seán Fortune.
The Irish Catholic Hierarchy and the Vatican also come in for criticism.
The report finds that there was a growing awareness within church authorities from the 1960s about the problem of child abuse, which it failed to pass on to ordinary clerics.
It highlights a 1962 document from the Vatican advising how the church should treat allegations of child abuse, and how the diocese of Dublin sought and was given legal advice on civil claims as early as 1987, seven years before the issue of clerical sex abuse came into focus in the media and wider society.
The inquiry was "concerned that the church authorities either in this country or in Rome did not properly alert their priests to the danger of child sexual abuse at a time when they did or should have known of this danger which had been clearly identified by church authorities elsewhere".
The report also raises questions about the issue of celibacy within the church and whether this contributed to the problem.
The inquiry commissioned a group of therapists with expertise in dealing with clerical abusers who "unanimously believed that the vow of celibacy contributed to the problem of child sexual abuse".
While the State authorities are not accused of similar levels of failings, there are criticisms.
The Garda properly investigated most cases they were made aware of, the report finds. However, prior to 1990 there appears to have been "a reluctance on the part of individual gardaí" to properly investigate allegations of abuse against priests.
Their handling of the Monageer case, where the investigation filed simply disappeared, is highlighted.
The South Eastern Health Board and the health authorities come in for minor criticisms on how they acted, but the principal concern about the State is the current laws, and whether they provide adequate protection for children.
It questions whether the health services have sufficient powers at present to intervene in some cases to protect a child from abuse by an individual outside the home.
The most poignant finding of the report are the stories of the 100 or so people who came forward.
The inquiry talks of "revulsion, at the extent, severity and duration of the child abuse allegedly perpetrated".
The inquiry also said that the victims complained and medical experts confirmed the abuse had "far-reaching consequences not only for the victim, but also for their relatives and friends, and that this damage can continue over a period of many years and into subsequent generations".